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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · land · pass · mate · staff · toast · perch · plane

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. staff — employees
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — ground
  8. mate — a partner
  9. plane — a tool
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. toast — bread
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — to breed
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — a country
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. plane — in geometry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com